I'm about to build my first circuit. I've read a few times on this list
that hot glue can be conductive. Any advice on how to keep components
in place while soldering. This is also my first attempt at soldering.

I bread boarded a simple circuit and now want to transfer it to perf
board and put it into a project box.

One doesn't typically need to glue down components to the perfboard --I'm
assuming your using through-hole parts.
Usually the solder itself is sufficent to hold the part in place; unless you
have a particularly large cap or something. Get yourself a nice panavise to
hold the board on its side and nudge the part into place while you tack down
with the solder. Once the part is positioned where you want it, do a nicer
job making electrical connections; solder joints should be shiney when cool.
You'll get the hang of it once you get to doing it. Also, be careful to not
overheat the leads on the smaller semiconductors --a couple of seconds
should be more than enough to get a good joint.

What are you building?
Good luck!
-Dal

Oh, yea --Don't try to catch the hot soldering iron if it falls off the
workbench. :)
{Original Message removed}

Thanks for the advice, it never dawned on my to do the work with the
board on its side.

I am using through hole parts. I've built a water sensor, we had a
little leak last week that was a bigger problem than it should've been
only because nobody noticed the leak as soon as it started.

The sensor will start a piezo buzzer and start a 555 circuit to
open/close a relay that'll close contacts on a spare X10 RF trasmitter.
The X10 signal is picked up by a PC based home automation controller
that'll get someone's attention. I might replace the 555 with a PIC
later.

>
> One doesn't typically need to glue down components to the perfboard --I'm
> assuming your using through-hole parts.
> Usually the solder itself is sufficent to hold the part in place; unless you
> have a particularly large cap or something. Get yourself a nice panavise to
> hold the board on its side and nudge the part into place while you tack down
> with the solder. Once the part is positioned where you want it, do a nicer
> job making electrical connections; solder joints should be shiney when cool.
> You'll get the hang of it once you get to doing it. Also, be careful to not
> overheat the leads on the smaller semiconductors --a couple of seconds
> should be more than enough to get a good joint.
>
> What are you building?
> Good luck!
> -Dal
>
> Oh, yea --Don't try to catch the hot soldering iron if it falls off the
> workbench. :)

Method 1: Insert the component and bend the leads out with your fingers, in
a way that holds it into the perfboard. Flip the board over, clamp it into
a panavise, and solder the component into a pad. You can get creative with
using the leads to run to the next component.

Method 2: For components with leads too short for method 1. Insert the
component into the perfboard, and apply some black electrical tape to hold
the component temorarily while you solder it it.

Method 3: Hold the component with your fingers, hoping you can solder fast
enought before the component heats up. Then put your burnt fingers in your
mouth, cursing and swearing that you'll never use that method again,
meanwhile dropping the unsoldered component into the shag carpet at your
feet. Pick up another component and repeat.

Amazingly, I have been soldering for 25 years and I still use method 3 with
regularity.

Don't glue them down, it just makes it harder to unsolder them when the
inevitable changes are needed.

Don't skimp on a soldering iron. Forget all those Radio Shack irons. At a
minimum get a Weller WP35 or equivalent, set ya back about $35US, with the
skinniest tips they sell. Better yet is a temperature controlled iron.

Save your lungs, get hold of a fume extractor, or make one from a muffin fan
and a small scrap of filter material. I stuck mine on the end of a
parralellogram lamp arm (those cheap architects lamps on a big hinge) for
easy placement right behind the piece to be soldered.

Practice soldering a lot, until you can do it consistently, with joints that
are stronger than the wire. When you can solder two thin wires together,
yank on them, and the wire breaks before the joint, you have finally learned
the art.

>
> Kevin,
>
> Here's how I solder components:
>
> Method 1: Insert the component and bend the leads out with your fingers, in
> a way that holds it into the perfboard. Flip the board over, clamp it into
> a panavise, and solder the component into a pad. You can get creative with
> using the leads to run to the next component.
>
> Method 2: For components with leads too short for method 1. Insert the
> component into the perfboard, and apply some black electrical tape to hold
> the component temorarily while you solder it it.
>
> Method 3: Hold the component with your fingers, hoping you can solder fast
> enought before the component heats up. Then put your burnt fingers in your
> mouth, cursing and swearing that you'll never use that method again,
> meanwhile dropping the unsoldered component into the shag carpet at your
> feet. Pick up another component and repeat.
>
> Amazingly, I have been soldering for 25 years and I still use method 3 with
> regularity.
>
> Don't glue them down, it just makes it harder to unsolder them when the
> inevitable changes are needed.
>
> Don't skimp on a soldering iron. Forget all those Radio Shack irons. At a
> minimum get a Weller WP35 or equivalent, set ya back about $35US, with the
> skinniest tips they sell. Better yet is a temperature controlled iron.
>
> Save your lungs, get hold of a fume extractor, or make one from a muffin fan
> and a small scrap of filter material. I stuck mine on the end of a
> parralellogram lamp arm (those cheap architects lamps on a big hinge) for
> easy placement right behind the piece to be soldered.
>
> Practice soldering a lot, until you can do it consistently, with joints that
> are stronger than the wire. When you can solder two thin wires together,
> yank on them, and the wire breaks before the joint, you have finally learned
> the art.
>
> -- Lawrence Lile
>

Another good way is to put the pc board on top of a piece of foam. Place
all parts in place on the board. Take another piece of foam, place on
top of the board and invert board(turn upside down). foam holds parts on
board when soldering. Always start with the smallest parts first,
resistors, small caps, etc. Mount them on board, solder them, then move
on to the next taller parts, ic's, etc, mount them on board, solder them
then next taller....

>
> Thanks for the advice, it never dawned on my to do the work with the
> board on its side.
>
> I am using through hole parts. I've built a water sensor, we had a
> little leak last week that was a bigger problem than it should've been
> only because nobody noticed the leak as soon as it started.
>
> The sensor will start a piezo buzzer and start a 555 circuit to
> open/close a relay that'll close contacts on a spare X10 RF trasmitter.
> The X10 signal is picked up by a PC based home automation controller
> that'll get someone's attention. I might replace the 555 with a PIC
> later.
>
> Kevin
>
> Dal Wheeler wrote:
> >
> > One doesn't typically need to glue down components to the perfboard --I'm
> > assuming your using through-hole parts.
> > Usually the solder itself is sufficent to hold the part in place; unless you
> > have a particularly large cap or something. Get yourself a nice panavise to
> > hold the board on its side and nudge the part into place while you tack down
> > with the solder. Once the part is positioned where you want it, do a nicer
> > job making electrical connections; solder joints should be shiney when cool.
> > You'll get the hang of it once you get to doing it. Also, be careful to not
> > overheat the leads on the smaller semiconductors --a couple of seconds
> > should be more than enough to get a good joint.
> >
> > What are you building?
> > Good luck!
> > -Dal
> >
> > Oh, yea --Don't try to catch the hot soldering iron if it falls off the
> > workbench. :)

Hot glue as bought is NOT conductive. Dirty old hot glue may have leakage.

The easy way to keep the parts from falling out implies a heat resistant
sponge or a clean soft rag (cotton - old t-shirt). Stuff the board, then
press the sponge or the folded (several times) rag on top of the parts and
flip the board to solder. You need to do this several times, every time
stuff parts with the same height. If you use a special sponge for this you
can stuff all the parts at once (no matter what height).